Thursday, November 16, 2006

Conferences

I had 5 teacher conferences back to back and the kids had to sit in the hall the entire time. They were in 20 minute intervels and we had to walk to each class between. I really had a wonderful time listening to how great my kids control their issues at school. It just amazes me how well they do there and it seems that most are fitting in and making at least a friend.

My oldest is a friend magnet and has helped another child develope her skills and fit in better. She is a caregiver and loves that role. She used to sit alone b/c she had to go to the clinic every day before lunch to have the her blood sugar level checked due to diabetes. This was making it hard for her to fit in b/c she was having to sit alone at another table for lack of room. My child now walks her to the clinic and sits with her daily. The teacher was tickled that now they have a posse of 6 that all save seats and wait for them to return. Way to Go, Girl!!!

P is doing good and starting to become lazy with her effort. She is a smart girl she puts a ton of effort into not doing well. D and A are not doing as well socially or academically but much better there than here. They are both very delayed and D is still waiting to get the services she needs. E rocks! She is a social butterfly and picks up on things quickly. SHe likes to help others but can get too rushed and needs to take her time and do a good job. SHe gets her feelings hurt by her brother on the playground almost everyday. We are working on toughening her up a bit.

So conferences were good and then I go to leave and I hear noise in the hall where the kids are. I found them running up and down the hall and wrestling over a ball. I always have them bring along things to entertain them for our many waiting room visits and appointments. They did very well the first 4 conferences but the 5th was too much to bare. After I addressed their behavior and we were leaving, the last teacher I had been talking to stopped me. She said another teacher witnessed them pulling the glued down food and candy off of the art projects in the hall. You heard me, they ate a bunch of kid's artwork. She was concerned about their health b/c of eating glue and where the food had been before it was glued down and so on. I was embarassed, but they have eaten out of the trash can, it could not be worse than that. The children that did this were given PB and Js for dinner with carrot sticks and the usual water. The other 2 had the planned Chinese take out and soda. They handled it well and even told me they knew they already had their treat for the day and didn't deserve a special dinner. We may be back sliding but a few are really getting the hang of this.

We are leaving for Disney tomorrow night. They still have no idea and I am about to flip from excitement. I have them completely packed and only need to work on Pookie's and mine. My menu is planned and grocery list is made. I have printed out all the directions and receipts for the tickets and villa. We got a great deal on 6 day tickets for the price of 4 so we can leisurely attack each park. I have my letter from the therapist that describes their issues and our needs from the park so we qualify for the Guest Assistance Card and should have minimal waiting for each attraction. If you plan on going to Disney and have children with invisible disabilities, you should check out this program. I was relieved and very happy they offer this and my kids will have a much better time without the stress of close quaters and tons of waiting.

PLEASE VOTE FOR ME!

About Me

I am the mother of 10 children, 6 are part of a large sibling group we adopted through foster care in 2006, 2 are our grown foster daughters, 2 are from independent infant adoptions in 2001 and 2008. Every one of them have their own issues to work through from Schizo-Affective Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Complex PTSD, Reactive Attachment Disorder, Sensory Integration Dysfunction, ADHD, and Cerebral Palsy. Most of our children have been victims of sexual abuse by a close family member, most acted out sexually or exhibited predatory behaviors. We are currently trying to figure out where the trauma ends and mental illness begins in each of their lives.